Lamp socket for elongated tubular lamps



1951 H. 1.. GOEBEL LAMP SOCKET FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS Filed July 13, 1946 INVENTOR. Hermon L. Goebel BY Patented Oct. 30, 1951 LAMP SOCKET FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS Herman L. Goebel, Chicago, Ill., assignor to International Molded Plastics, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Application July 13, 1946, Serial No. 083,460

My invention relates to lamp sockets and in particular to improvements in a supporting socket for lamps having parallel spaced contact pins extending therefrom for electrically connecting the lamp to a source of electrical energy. This application constitutes an improvement over m patent, Number 2,510,628.

A person inserting a lamp in a socket having the general characteristics as the one described herein is often uncertain as to whether the lamp is locked in the socket or whether it will fall therefrom. Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a socket in which the lamp can be positioned whereby the contact pins engage stop portions of the socket and are held thereagainst by the resilient contact members.

Another object of my invention is a provision of a lamp socket in which the contact pins can readily be inserted in an opening in the socket and turned substantially transversely of the entrance of the opening in either direction, whereby contact members urge the contact pins against stop portions to insure contact between the contact pins and the contact members.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a lamp socket in which stop portions are integral with the housing with resilient contact members urging the contact pins against the stop portions to prevent the pins normally falling from the socket.

Still a further object of my invention is the provision of a lamp socket in which the lamp is inserted in the socket and the pins turned transversely of the entrance position and in either direction and must be turned in the opposite direc-' tion to remove the lamp from the socket.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a socket for a lamp having spacedpins in which the pins may be turned in a substantially circular opening in the face of the socket and against the stop means integral with the housing.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a socket having a substantially circular opening therein with stop portions integral with the front side of the socket housings and extending into the openings from opposite sides thereof to prevent a person sticking his finger in the opening and thereby come in contact with the electrical contact members.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of my invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

3 Claims. (Cl. 173-328) Figure 1 of my drawings is a view of a lamp mounted in the lamp socket;

Figure 2 of my drawings is a front view of my improved socket;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a back view of my improved socket with rear cover removed;

Figure 5 is a view taken along the lines 55 of Figure 3 and of Figure 1 to illustrate the position of the contact pins relative to the stop portions on the front side of the housing;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of my improved socket; and

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken along the line 1-4 of Figure 6.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a tubular discharge lamp I 0, such as a fluorescent lamp, supported at each end by means of spaced lamp sockets l I mounted on any convenient support, such as a reflector base 13. The drawings illustrate the lamp as resting in the socket and positioned above the base I3. However, it is understood that the lamp It] may be supported by the sockets in any other suitable position desired by the user of the lamp without fear of the lamp falling from the socket. The lamp ID, as illustrated, may be a tubular lamp with parallel spaced contact pins M and [5 extending from the end thereof. The contact pins [4 and I5 extend into the socket H for engaging contact members within the socket and for holding the lamp in the socket.

My improved socket H comprises a housing I! with a substantially circular opening l8 in the front or face side I6 thereof. The housing may be constructed by a single molding of plastic or other suitable moldable insulating material. This substantially circular opening [8 extends inwardly from the front or face side [=6 of the housing I! and has a pin entrance [9 on the pin entrance edge 22 of the housing. The contact pins M and I5 may thus be moved laterally through this pin entrance I 9 and into the circular opening I8. The housing I! also has recesses 28 extending inwardly from the back side thereof and merging with the circular opening I 8. These recesses 20 are separated by a dividing wall 21, which extends longitudinally of the housing A back portion 2| of the dividing wall 21 forms a partial back for the substantially circular opening I8. The back portion 2| is narrower than the circular opening and is integral with the pin entrance edge '22 of the housing on each side of the entrance l9. r

Resilient contact blades or members 23 and 24 are operatively supported by suitable means in the recesses 20, one on either side of the dividing wall portion 21. The contact blade 23 has a curved portion 25, and the contact blade 24 has a curved portion 26. These curved portions 25 and 2B are disposed on opposite sides of the circular opening l8 and one on each side of the pin entrance i9, whereby the contact pins engage the contact blades when they are turned transversely of the pin entrance l8 and in the opening I8.

Extending in the plane of the front side it inwardly of the circular opening 18 are two stop portions 30 and 31 integral with the front side l6 of the housing. The stop portions 30 and 3! are aligned substantially transversely of the pin entrance [9 with the stop portion 30 on one side of the pin entrance l9 and the stop portion 3| on the other side of the pin entrance [9 to prevent turning of the contact pins further than substantially transversely of the pin entrance I9. It is to be understood, however, that the stop portions may be disposed in a position other than transverse to the entrance without departing from the general idea of my improvement. However, I have found the socket to .be most practical when the pins must be turned substantially transverse of the entrance to abut or engage the stop portions.

A cross-section of the stop portions, when taken in a plane parallel to the plane of the front side it of the housing is substantially rectangular, as shown in Figure 5. The stop portion 30 has a stop surface 33 on the side thereof closest to the pin entrance 1.! and within the circular opening 13. This same stop portion 30 has a stop surface 34 on the opposite side thereof furthest from the pin entrance [9. Similarly the oppositely disposed stop portion 3| has a stop surface 35 on the side closest the pin entrance I9, and a stop surface 36 on the side furthest from the pin entrance l9. These stop surfaces 33, 34, 35 and 36 are disposed in substantiall parallel planes which are substantially perpendicular to the plane of the front side l6 of the hous- A flared base 28 integrally connects the stop portion 35 to the back portion 2i. A flared base 29 integrally connects the stop portion 3| to the back portion 2!. These flared bases 28 and 29, as is best illustrated in Figures 6 and '7, are disposed within the circular opening and between the curved portions 25 and 25 of the spaced contact blades or members 23 and 24 and may be molded integrally with the housing. The flared bases give strength to the stop portions to prevent breaking them from the front side l6 of the housing I1.

In installing the lamp in the socket H the installer slides the contact pins and I4 laterally through the pin entrance l9 and into the widened or substantially annular opening l8. After the lamp contact pins [4 and 15 have been moved into this widened or substantially annular opening l8, the installer simply turns the lamp in either direction to align the contact pins 14 and I5 against the stop portions 30 and 3!. For descriptive purposes, my description speaks of turning the lamp In in one direction when installing the lamp in the socket. However, it is to be understood that it may be turned in either direction to turn the pins M and I5 against the stop portions 30 and 3|. As the lamp i0 is turned to position the pins l4 and I5 substantially transverse of the pin entrance 19, the lamp contact pin [4 will engage the contact blade curved portion 26, and the lamp contact pin IE will engage the contact blade curved portion 25. As these contact pins [4 and I5 are substantially parallel, and spaced a definite distance, the will slightly spread the contact blades against the resiliency of the blades.

When the pins have been turned substantially transverse of the pin entrance IS, the contact pin l5 abuts the stop surface 34 of the stop portion 30, and the contact pin l4 abuts the stop surface 35 of the stop portion 3|. Figure 5 best illustrates the position of the lamp contact pins relative to the stop portions and the contact blades. It is understood that the lamp contact pins I4 and 15 may be turned in the opposite direction, or to that position shown in phantom in Figure 5, in which case the contact pin M will engage the stop surface 33 and the contact pin l5 will engage the stop surface 36.

The resiliency of the contact blades 23 and 24 will urge these pins against their respective stop surfaces of the stop portions of the housing I! and thus prevent the lamp contact pins normally returning to entrance position whereby the lamp It} may fall from the socket. In order to remove the lamp from the socket, the installer must turn the lamp in the opposite direction of the direction for installing to turn the pins against the urgency of the contact members and from the stop portions to the entrance position where they may be moved laterally from the substantially annular opening through the entrance.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity in its preferred form, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A socket for a lamp having spaced contact pins comprising a housing providing a front wall, spaced side walls, an end wall, and a back Wall portion all integrally molded together, said front wall having a circular opening therein, said end wall having an entrance way therein merging with said circular opening, said back wall portion engaging said end wall on each side of said entranceway and extending between said side walls to provide recesses merging with said circular opening with one recess on one side of said back wall portion and another recess on the other side of said back wall portion, stop portions integral with said front wall and extending from diametrically opposite sides of said circular opening towards each other and in a plane substantially transversely of the entranceway, each of said stop portions also defining stop surfaces on opposite sides thereof with one of the stop surfaces facing the entrance way, base portions integrally connecting the respective adjacent ends of said stop portions to said back portion, said base portions having divergingly disposed side walls extending from said stop portions and terminating in a widened base at said back wall portion, and a contact member supported in each of said recesses and extending on both sides of its respective stop portion to urge a contact pin against that stop portion when the pins are inserted in the circular opening and the lamp is turned.

2. In a supporting socket for a lamp having .5 spaced contact pins, a socket face portion of insulating material having opposing Wall portions disposed in substantially the same plane and defining a widened opening, a back wall portion integrally joined with said socket face portion, stop portions having supported ends integrally joined in said plane with each of said opposing wall portions and having projecting ends extending away from said opposing wall portions into said widened opening with the projecting ends defining a gap therebetween to permit the passage of a contact pin therethrough, said stop portions having sidesurfaces engageable by the spaced contact pins when the contact pins are turned thereagainst, and base portions integrally connecting respectively the projecting ends of said stop portions to said back portion, said base portions having divergingly disposed side walls extending from said stop portions and terminating in a widened base at said back wall portion.

3. In a supporting socket for a lamp having spaced contact pins, a socket face portion of insulating material having opposing wall portions disposed in substantially the same plane and defining a widened opening, resilient contacts in said socket adjacent said opposing wall portions and engageable by said contact pins, a back wall portion integrally joined with said socket face portion, stop portions having supported ends in-* tegrally joined in said plane with each of said opposing wall portions and having projecting ends extending away from said opposing wall portions into said widened opening with the projecting ends defining a gap therebetween to permit the passage of a contact pin therethrough, said stop portions having side surfaces engageable by the spaced contact pins when the contact pins are turned thereagainst, and base portions integrally connecting respectively the projecting ends of said stop portions to said back portion,

said base portions having divergingly disposed side walls extending from said stop portions and terminating in a widened base at said back wall portion.

HERMAN L. GOEBEL.

REFERENfiYES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Num er Name Date 1,482,603 Raulhaber, Jr Feb. 5, 1924 2,238,152 Alden Apr. 15, 1941 2,297,738 Beal Oct. 6, 1942 2,510,628 Goebel June 6, 1950 

